1. Nielsen 1
Lydia Nielsen
Dr. Silva
ENG 311
22 January 2014
Cultural Conversion
What do minotaurs, chopsticks, and Wales have in common? For most people, not a
whole lot. But each has added color to the lens that I view the world through. Each has taught me
how much I believe in culture.
Whatever possessed me to take a mythology class my senior year of high school, I will
never know. Judging by my instantaneous interest in less than admirable gods and goddesses, I
think my passion must have always been there. I’m still unable to comprehend how I made sense
of the world before I knew about the insane impact the Greeks have on our modern world. To
think that a society so ancient shaped our thoughts, our history, and our stories is remarkable. I
was lucky enough to have teachers that cared enough to encourage me to appreciate the past and
to not fear variety.
Growing up, I was vaguely aware of one of my classmates that moved to Utah from
Korea. She was the definition of different. I’d see her now and then chattering on the phone in
some nonsensical language that intrigued me. Nearly ten years later, this girl is not just some
foreign student that I wanted to get to know, she is my best friend. Because of her, I crave
seaweed and randomly, but proudly, recite phrases like “I am Batman” in Korean. She would say
that I’ve trained her in the ways of American sarcasm and random dancing. Maybe we’ve had to
sacrifice a part of our respective cultures to find some sort of common ground but I’d say that my
exposure to a culture so different from mine has actually helped me better understand my own.

2. Nielsen 2
Last summer I lived in Wales. I breathed Welsh air, shopped in Welsh shops, and spoke
Welsh words everyday for two months. It’s odd to think that I stood where my ancestors did.
Even more strange was how comfortable and welcome I felt there. I’d never experienced such a
dramatic shift in culture before and still it only took me a few days to accept that this place was
different but that different was ok. Cardiff, the city I lived in, didn’t emanate elegance like the
country did but I eventually found beauty in the contrast. What impressed me most was how
proud the Welsh people were to be whatever they were: a coalminer, a farmer, a tour guide, or a
government official. And even though my relation is distant, I feel the Welsh pride too.
All of us have roots even though we all grow in different soil. At the end of the day,
we’re all here experiencing life and making new discoveries. Exposing ourselves to different
cultures can open our minds and make the soil that we grow in richer. Variety isn’t always
comfortable at first but it is definitely beneficial. That’s the beauty of culture. It can relate
happily to our own beliefs or disagree with them and give us greater understanding. Our way is
not the only way. Thank goodness for that.